To the Bitter End
by TheCriticalHit
Summary: Upon slaying the Ender Dragon, Steve is ready to settle down from his many adventures. The only problem is that the Endermen aren't too happy about the death of the queen, or the stealing of her egg. A young Enderman named Dusk takes it upon herself to save the young dragon, but with a mutual enemy in the shadows they may have to work together.
1. Chapter 1 - The End

**Chapter One - The End**

Steve's heart was racing as he pulled out a dark blue potion bottle, pulling out the cork top and chugged the contents. The potion was so sweet that his body even recoiled at the intense sugary taste, and Steve had to force himself to swallow it. A familiar burning feeling entering his gut as the potion began to take affect. His eyes seared as the night vision potion unfolded, opening his eyes to the dark realm around him.

A part of him wished he had used this potion sooner, but he knew that this was the moment he needed it the most- the climax of the battle.

He could see her, soaring through this endless abyss above him. Wings gilded with the night, eyes a dark smoldering violet deeper than the void below the island. Wounds covered the dragon's scales, the diamond sword having pierced her scales with ease. The dragon never bled, rather a purple light poured from the slashes. Steve held the enchanted sword up as she came near, letting her know he was ready to strike. Rage brewed in her eyes, the dragon veering away. They were both at the end of their rope, and they both knew it.

The dragon flew towards the edge of the island, and due to the potion Steve could now see her unlike the times before in this battle. His eyes widened as he watched the dragon swoop towards an obsidian pillar on the edge he hadn't noticed until now, slowly drawing energy from the simmering end crystal that rested on top.

"No!" Steve snarled, slipping his sword away and reaching for his worn down bow. Only five arrows remained with him- he could have sworn he had destroyed all of the crystals!

The Ender Dragon's eyes flashed as she noticed Steve running towards her last source of healing. The dragon snarled, perched up on the tower. She spread her wings, quickly shielding the crystal as Steve notched an arrow, knowing he needed to destroy it if he were to have any hope of winning this fight. He could see the black energy radiating from the crystal, slowly healing the dragon he had done so much to wear down!

If she was healed then Steve knew he wouldn't leave the End alive.

The dragon's tail twitched as Steve came closer, she knew full well what Steve was capable of, they had been in a desperate battle for what seemed like ages now. She was left with a choice: stay at the crystal and heal further, or engage Steve before he came closer and risk the last crystal being destroyed.

The Ender Dragon let out a roar, before leaping off of the obsidian pillar and diving towards Steve.

Startled at the sudden attack, Steve let the arrow fly, which pierced the dragon's left wing. She hissed, but kept flying at him, opening her mouth. Steve's eyes widened as a purple glow filled her throat, and he dropped the bow. Pulling up two blocks of dirt he threw them down towards the endstone ground, the two blocks expanding to full size in front of him. He ducked behind the makeshift wall, wishing he still had his shield, but that had shattered in the beginning of the battle when he had been swarmed by the dragon's Endermen as they attempted to defend her.

Stupid Endermen.

The dragon's dark purple breath drenched the ground as she dove low, smoke curling up as it seared the blocks it touched. Yet it gave off no heat, only a bitter coldness that send chills racing through him as the breath came close. Steve closed his eyes as the dragon flew above him, her breath attack starting to die down as she turned to fly back in the air. The dirt wall did it's job, dispersing the purple gas before it hit Steve.

His eyes popped open as heard the sound of her wings carrying her higher into the sky- if this place even had what could be called the sky. The many dimensions of this world fascinated Steve- but he knew that he always prefered the overworld, with his home and the sun. He half expected the dragon to return to her crystal to heal further as he rose to his feet, but instead she wheeled around for another attack at Steve.

Her mistake.

Steve dove for his fallen bow with one hand, pulling an arrow out of his quiver with another hand. He notched the arrow, drawing his bow back as he aimed it up towards the sky, but not at the dragon. Her eyes widened as he took aim at the undefended end crystal. The dragon let out a screech as he let the arrow fly, but she was too far away to do anything. The arrow soared through the air, whistling as it reached the crystal surrounded in a fire, and pierced the center of the crystal.

 _Boom!_

The crystal shattered upon being hit, releasing a fiery explosion. The Ender Dragon roared in desperation, sweeping her wings up to race towards the crystal, but it was too late. Only a bedrock block sat on top of the obsidian tower, the dragon's last method of healing gone. A smirk crossed Steve's face.

"Just you and me beast," Steve told the dragon as she desperately soared around the obsidian pillar, and for the first time Steve saw fear in her eyes. He slipped his bow away, once more drawing his diamond sword, which gleamed along side his diamond chestplate. The rest of his armor was iron, but it would have to do, diamond a simply a rare resource. The dragon couldn't last much longer, he just needed to kill her and this realm would be purged of the unholy demon.

" _RAWH!"_

The thunderous roar echoed in Steve's ears, and the dragon bore down on him. He slashed with the sword as she dove at him, but unlike the times before she didn't fly away upon being hit. Panic flashed through his mind as she swiped with her claws, sending him flying back. Deep scratches could be seen on his chestplate, and he was simply glad it wasn't his skin. He grunted as he slammed into the endstone ground, the breath knocked out of him. The dragon landed, glaring at him as she slowly approached.

He realized that the dragon was done with her hit-and-run tactics- she had nowhere to run to heal. Her only goal was to end him. Steve attempted to raise his sword, only to realize it had been knocked out of his hands when he had been hit. Steve struggled to his knees, trying to reach it, but the dragon was already preparing her dragon breath. Steve's heart pounded as he realized that he would have no time to get the sword _and_ counter attack, not when he was this low on health.

" _AR-WOOOO!"_

A long howl filled the end realm, and the dragon paused as Steve paled. Even with his night vision potion fading away, he could still see a sleek silver-white shape racing towards him. The wolf charged at the dragon, a ferocity in his eyes as he ran straight at the monster much larger at him. Steve's eyes widened as the wolf leapt up, sinking his fangs straight into the Ender Dragon's ankles.

"Sol!" Steve cried, but his wolf and oldest friend only leapt back, spitting a scale from his mouth. Sol took one glance at his alpha, before racing at the dragon's flicking tail. He had been doing his best to hold off the Endermen from his alpha, but this dragon was the real threat. He bit down on the tail, doing his best to get his canine teeth through the powerful scales. The dragon reared her head back, swinging her tail to the side. Sol yelped as he was flung into one of the obsidian towers, pain rushing through his body as the dragon turned her whole form to face him.

"Rrrr..." Sol growled through the pain, keeping the dragon's focus on him.

"Run Sol!" Steve cried, but the wolf had no more energy to run. The dragon drew her head in close, and the wolf threw everything he had and sprang at her. The dragon simply opened her mouth, drenching the wolf in her breath. The growl was cut short as the violet energy consumed the wolf's body, vaporizing it in moments. Steve stood frozen as he watched an orange collar fall to the ground, the only thing remaining of his friend. Tears stung his eyes, and he began to shake, whispering, "N-no..."

The dragon leaned down, sniffing the collar, as if making sure the wolf was gone for good. A blinding rage flashed across Steve's vision, hands fumbling for his fallen sword. The dragon pulled her head up, ready to end the player, only to find that Steve was back on his feet, charging at her, sword in hand. The diamond sword pierced her front leg, a purple light seeping from the wound as he ducked under her, barely avoiding her snapping jaws. He attempted to plunge the sword up into her stomach, but the dragon had already taken to the air.

Steve glared up at the dragon, "You're going to regret ever touching Sol!" He snarled at the dragon, tears falling from his eyes. Sol couldn't be gone- the wolf had always been there for him! He ran towards the fallen collar, scooping it up and slipping it away as the dragon wheeled around to face him. She was coming in close again, and Steve jumped back to avoid her slashing claws- there was no way he could beat her with her aerial advantage! He needed to limit her in some way... Reaching deep into his inventory, he felt his hands close around something he had never meant to bring to the End, but it just might work.

The dragon landed once more, swinging her head in close, and Steve flung the glowstone dust into the dragon's eyes just as she opened her mouth. She let out a roar as the powder stung her eyes, flashing brightly as she fumbled back. Steve charged forward, raising his sword, slashing the chest of the dragon. Another thunderous roar echoed through the End realm as Steve drew the sword out of her scaly hide, more light coming from her. She stumbled, her large clawed feet barely missing Steve. He raised the sword again as he ran under her, plunging it into her stomach, dragging it across her body. More violet energy poured from her wounds as Steve retreated from under her, and the dragon sagged to the ground, gasping for breath.

Steve slowly approached the dragon, eyes dark. He raised the enchanted diamond sword above her head, letting her look desperately up at him as more purple energy leaked from her wounds. Glowstone dust lined her snout, and Steve wasn't quite sure how blinded she was from the dust, but he knew she could at least see the glow of the sword.

"For Sol," Steve snarled, and he brought the sword down on her head.

The dragon froze up as the diamond sword hit her at a deadly arc. Her whole form began to crack, and Steve stumbled back as the light left her eyes. You could see a bright purple energy radiating from the fractures appearing along the dragon's body, and she was slowly lifted into the air. Steve raised a blocky arm to shield out the intense light coming from her, her obsidian colored-body slowly dissolving away. Pure energy poured from her, the very essence of her existence.

Steve risked looking again, breathing heavily as he watched the fading purple glow. He blinked several times as a wave of green and yellow orbs come down from the faded black form. A small smile flickered across his face as the realization hit him, his sword falling down from the air as the last of the dragon vanished. He stumbled towards the diamond sword, a ringing filling his mind as the orbs rushed at him.

Steve had wasn't quite sure what the orbs were, but he had seen them so many times that he wasn't surprised as they poured from the dragon. They often fell from slain monsters, and had always seemed attracted to him. The villagers back at his home village had never had any explanation for them, and they couldn't absorb the energy of the orbs like he could. Steve blinked as the wave of the orbs the dragon had dropped were drawn to him, he had never seen so many of these orbs at once. He closed his eyes, allowing them to be drawn into him, an energy flowing through him.

He had taken to calling the orbs simply 'magic' many years ago, a simple term for something he didn't truly understand. The magic did have it's uses, he could redirect the energy from the orbs into his weapons and tools with the proper equipment, which had lead to him being able to enchant his gear.

He picked up his sword from the ground, shaking with exhaustion. He had done it... He had slain the Ender Dragon...

He slipped his sword away, drawing out Sol's collar. Some might say that the wolf had only been an animal mob, but tears still pooled in his eyes as he bit down on his lips. A part of him still couldn't seem to accept that Sol was just suddenly gone, that he would never see the wolf again. He had slain the dragon... but had Sol's life been worth as the cost?

His hand closed around the collar, Steve had done much in his lifetime. Always out adventuring and looking for more beyond the simple life the villagers lead. He may not remember anything from before his childhood, but he had still lead a full life. Discovering biomes with new resources, slaying the hostile monsters, mining in the deepest pits of the overworld, looting the ruins scattered about the world. He had explored the highest of mountains, and even had traveled through different realms. The Nether was a world full of discovery and danger, but even that hadn't compared to his quest to the End realm, which had taken so much preparation.

And the dragon was now dead.

Steve took in a deep breath, and began searching to see if he had any healing potions left. He had unfortunately used the last of them in the fight, and he pulled out a half-eaten golden apple- he only had few opportunities to take several bites during the fight, but he was grateful he now that he had some left. With a sigh, Steve bit into the fruit, feeling his wounds beginning to heal as he ate. But as his physical pain was lifted, the emotional ones took hold. Sol was dead- Steve had been with the wolf for as nearly as long as he could remember, since it had been a pup. After a lifetime of adventure, the wolf had given his life to save Steve.

Closing his eyes, Steve gritted his teeth. The dragon had been the most challenging opponent he had ever faced, the one that had taken the most effort to defeat, and the one that had taken the most for him.

Steve was simply ready to go home to his village.

Steve turned, looking towards the center of the island. The small bedrock shrine he had seen earlier in the fight was still there, but there was a faint black glow coming from it now. Frowning, Steve slowly approached it, realizing that now a starry portal had formed between the bedrock blocks, the same kind of portal that had brought him here to the end realm. Steve frowned, was this his way home?

But it was what was on top of the shrine that made Steve paused.

A strange, curved obsidian stone was resting on top of the middle pillar of bedrock, purple glow coming from it. Steve frowned, carefully moving his way around the borders of the portal to get a better look at it. He had never seen anything quite like it, had this perhaps been the dragon's treasure? He pulled out several pieces of cobblestone, building a makeshift staircase up to the top of the small pillar. He reached out towards the obsian stone, and it suddenly vanished with a flash of purple light. Steve froze, turning, only to find the stone a few blocks away, now resting on the end stone. He hopped down, going towards it again, this time reaching out with his sword.

Once more the stone whisked away, leaving behind the same purple glow an Enderman did when it teleported. Steve frowned, it was now only a few blocks away again. Perhaps this was the Enderman's energy source? He didn't see any Enderman at the moment, even though the island had been full of them when he had arrived. Perhaps they had scattered at the death of their queen, or maybe Sol had taken care of them all.

Sol...

Steve could get within several blocks of the stone with ease, but the moment he tried to touch it, the stone would simply teleport away. Steve frowned, thinking back on the words of his mother. There was always more than one way to accomplish a task, and if the first time didn't work, simply try again. A small smile flickered over his face, picturing the villager priest in his mind. She was the leader of the village Steve had been raised in, and had been the one to adopt Steve when he had been found. She had always been there for Steve, teaching the ways of the Minecraft world, encouraging him to explore despite the villagers desperately always staying in the village. She had even been the one to make the potions Steve had used in this battle.

Steve closed his eyes, focusing on his inventory. He, among the villagers, were someone of the few creatures that could access this unique pocket dimension, able to access items they had stored within it. But unlike the villagers, Steve was able to access a much large inventory. Steve had always known that he was different than the villagers... but lately he couldn't help but notice just _how_ different they were. He wasn't even sure of what kind of mob he was. His mother would just always smile and say that he's 'Steve', so that's what Steve went with.

Steve pulled out the piston, setting it on the ground and allow it to expand to full size. He held his breath, but the stone didn't move. Smiling, Steve pulled out a redstone torch, placing it next to the piston. The neck of the piston stretched out as the redstone energy was fed to it, pushing against the stone. Unlike all of the other times it had been touched, it didn't teleport away. The obsidian stone simply _popped!_ It then fell, turning into a small item, spinning on the ground. Steve stepped forward, and it was drawn into his hand. This was another phenomenon Steve had always struggled to explain, the way blocks turned into the small items that he could pick up and collect, but he was so use to it that he never questioned it. He examined the strange stone, but saw no sign of what it could do. With a sigh he slipped it into the back of his inventory, recollecting his piston and redstone torch, before pulling out Sol's collar one more time.

He approached the place where the wolf had fallen, kneeling down and lowering his head, "Thank you Sol," He said quietly, "You saved my life today, and I will do everything in my power to make sure your sacrifice isn't in vain. May Notch guide your soul to the next life."

Silence.

Steve's hand curled around the collar, a pain in his heart as he dropped it onto the endstone. This is where it belonged, right next to where it's owner had fallen. As much as it hurt, Steve turned away from the collar, hiking towards the edge of the island. He pulled out his diamond pickaxe, mining some endstone as he made his way towards the edge, and he peered into the void.

His stomach twisted, he was seeing _the void._

The void was blackness, an empty blackness. Just like his mother had described, it was an endless abyss with no bottom. Steve had dug down to bedrock many times, always knowing that the void laid below, but he never understood it until now. This is what lied beyond their world, a pit of blackness that would kill anything that entered it. Gulping, Steve backed up away from the edge, deciding that it was finally time to leave the End.

Steve didn't notice a pair of glowing purple eyes peering around one of the obsidian pillars as he made his way back towards the center shrine. The portal gleamed up at him as he took in a deep breath. He ran one hand along the unbreakable bedrock, before jumping into the portal. The darkness of the portal swallowed up Steve, whisking him away back to the overworld.

* * *

The tall, slender creature stepped out from behind the obsidian pillar as she watched Steve vanish from her realm. She blinked her burning violet eyes. In her hands she was carrying one of the dirt blocks that Steve had left behind, her gaze fixated on the portal Steve had left through. She was noticeably shaking, she had been the only Enderman that hadn't retreated back to the End Cities as their queen had been attacked, and therefore she had witnessed the fall of the the dragon queen.

But that wasn't the worst of what she had seen.

Not only had a _player_ slain the queen, he had taken her egg. The Enderman gulped slightly, teleporting towards the shine, appearing up on where the egg had once rested. It had been the queen's pride and joy, the object she had kept hidden and protected with her life. But not even their queen had been able to keep it hidden in her death- the egg was always supposed to appear once the queen fell so a new dragon could rise and take their place. But with no force alive as powerful as their queen, she hadn't fallen in centuries. The Enderman placed the dirt block on top of the pillar, before teleporting back to the the endstone.

The Enderman was trembling- There had been a _player._ She had been raised on stories of players- a rare and powerful creature that wasn't even a mob, a creature that was the closest thing to The Notch. Players weren't suppose to exist anymore though- the players had gone extinct centuries ago, even before the last queen had hatched!

The Enderman, who was known among her fellow Endermen as Dusk, took in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind. It wouldn't be long until the other Endermen would sense the fall of their queen, and they would be back to the central island, ready to prepare the new dragon to take their place as monarch. Except the egg wouldn't be here, it had been taken to the overworld, by a _player_. A dragon shouldn't hatch in the overworld! It needed to be here in the End, surrounded by Enderman that would care for it as a creature of its power should be. Dusk teleported back a little, trying to figure out what she could do.

Sure, this player had slain her queen, but still Dusk had been one of the few Endermen tasked with protecting the egg. Just because her queen was dead doesn't mean she was freed from her duties. Dusk knew that she was fast, if she could just go after the player and reclaim the egg they could have their monarch back. She teleported to the edge of the portal, peering in. Just go to the overworld, track down the player, and return.

She teleported back in fear, and felt something jump into her hands, so Dusk looked down. It was an orange dog collar, the one the player had left behind. She gulped, but wondered if the strange object could help her in the overworld. She teleport back towards the edge of the portal, trying to understand what she was about to do. She was about to go to the overworld- going after a player than had killed the queen!

Players were dangerous to mobs like herself, she knew enough from the stories, but she could do this.

Taking in a deep breath, Dusk stepped into the portal, and was whisked away to the overworld.

* * *

 **...Well, I thought I'd never be doing this. I love fanfiction, and I love Minecraft, but I never thought I could come up with something for a Minecraft fanfiction. Well, here I am. :)**

 **It was interesting writing this chapter, trying to keep the elements of Minecraft in tack while having some explanation behind it (such as picking up items, experience, and inventory.) In this story "Inventory" is basically the ability to store and access items in a pocket** **dimension, but usually this ability is limited, but Steve is able to access a huge inventory since he's what's known as a "player". More about "players" will be expanded later in the story, but they are separate from the other creatures of the Minecraft world.**

 **Oh yeah, in this story there is no respawning after death. Once someone (player or mob) dies they're dead, so I guess you can say it is basically Hardcore mode.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Adventure Mode

**Chapter Two - Adventure Mode**

"There she is..." Steve muttered as he crested a top of a large hill, looking down into the valley below. A cool wind rushed by him as he stared at the trail he had taken many times before. Steve stood up on the hill for a moment, looking down at the village that laid below. A simple plains village, taking up nearly a fourth of the valley. Even from his current distance he could make out the villagers running about, farming and trading, simply living their lives, trying to survive. A smile flickered onto Steve's face as he headed down the hill, simply glad he was going home.

His first time going home without Sol.

Steve's stomach tightened at the thought of his wolf, but he forced himself to keep going. He had seen the concern in the villagers' eyes when he had left to fight the Ender Dragon, he didn't deserve to keep them waiting any longer.

Steve hopped down from the hill, his feet hitting the path that lead into the village. He forced a smile onto his face as he entered, standing tall, sword resting in his hand as he past the wheat fields.

"Hey there!" A voice called, "That you, Steve?"

Steve lifted a hand, waving to the farmer, "In the flesh, David!"

David let out a hearty laugh, dropping his stone hoe and rushing towards the player. Steve slipped his sword away, bracing as the farmer threw his arms around Steve, bringing him into a bone-crashing hug.

"We had no word from you for a month!" He cried, releasing Steve and stepping back, scanning the player, "Course we didn't assume the worse or anything, but we still were darn worried about you, boy!" David smiled, "Especially that mom of yours," He slapped Steve on the back, laughing, "Why don't we go tell the rest of the village of your safe return!" His eyes sparkled, "And of your success, I assume?"

Steve gave a short nod, and David's grinned widened even more. Steve allowed himself to be guided by the villager away from the farms and towards the main market of the village, more farmers joining them from the field as traveled on. Moments like these felt like mere blurs to Steve however, it a welcome that he always got whenever he returned home. The villagers admired him, and it was for more than being the adoptive son of their chief.

They saw him as a protector- he and Sol were the ones to fight alongside the two iron golems of the village, driving back the zombies that attempted to claim the village. He was the one that could craft, creating tools in moments when it would have taken the villagers days or even weeks to create. Steve was the one that explored beyond the valley, creating safe houses and mapping foreign areas, bringing back resources that villagers hadn't even heard of.

He was the one that slew monsters that attacked, learning how to defend from each of them. He was the one that brought back the ingredients and resources to make potions of weakness that his mother could brew- them alongside a golden apple, they were the cure he and his mother had discovered to free villagers of their zombified state. The villagers felt safe around him, they were able to see beyond the dangers of the world, and start to appreciate the wonders instead.

But most importantly, the village was family to him. They were the ones that took him in when he was young, sheltering him from the dangers of the night. Steve shivered, remembering as far back as he could, his first moments in this world. He had only been a child in his farthest memories, no recollection of anyone like him. He didn't know quite how he came to this world, but he was grateful that the village had found him. He sure he wouldn't have survived without them, even with Sol accompanying him.

Sol would never accompany him anywhere again.

Steve clenched his fists, trying to hold back the painful memories.

"Here we are Steve!" Leah, a librarian cried, and Steve looked up. He was now standing in front of the village church- a tall building made of cobblestone. Steve blinked, trying to take in the idea that he was now finally home. Steve looked around, the whole village was currently with him, all wanting to celebrate his return, to hear his stories. Steve refocused his gaze on the church, watching as the door swung open.

The crowd fell silent as a priestess strolled out of the church, her dark purple robes dragging across the ground. She looked out over the entire village that had gathered around her church, blinking her dull purple eyes as she looked around. The villagers lowered their heads respectfully towards their priestess and chief, the leader of their village.

"Priestess Sharara," Leah said, "Your son has returned."

Sharara's eyes lit up, scanning the crowd once more, and her eyes fell on Steve. The player gave her a small wave, and a smile spread across the priestess's face. She ran down the steps of the church, wrapping her arms around Steve as she reached him. Steve returned the hug, all of the pain of Sol's death seemed to melt away for just a moment as he embraced his adoptive mother.

"Mom," Steve whispered, closing his eyes.

Sharara pulled herself out of the hug, placing her hands on Steve's shoulders, "You have no idea how worried I was," She whispered, "For a while I was regretting telling you about the End realm and the dragon- your adventures to the Nether were dangerous enough!"

Steve grinned, "What, you thought a dragon was too much for me? Yes, she put up a fight, but she fell in the end."

Sharara's eyes gleamed with excitement, "So- so you truly did it? You defeated the Ender Dragon?"

Steve nodded, and the entire village erupted into cheers. He had done it again, he had slain a monster, one much greater than any of their imaginations. He had purged the End realm of the demon dragon that their legends had told of. Steve felt himself being dragged back into his mother's arms.

"Your potions were a lifesaver in that battle," Steve muttered in her eye, barely hearable over the cheers of the villagers.

Sharara grinned, "They are my specialty," She replied, looking over him once more, "So it's truly gone, that beast?"

"No trace of it remains," Steve confirmed.

Sharara's grinned turned into a smirk, "I never doubted you. Steve, you have done well, it's almost ti..." She shook her head, sitting up straight, "We will have a celebration tonight!" She declared to the village, "In honor for the hero of our village! The slayer of the foulest of beasts- my son, Steve!"

The village let out another cheer, and Sharara looked at Steve, who glanced away, and she finally seemed to notice the crestfallen look on his face.

"Is everything alright?" She asked quietly.

Steve looked away, "...The dragon killed Sol," Steve muttered, "H-he saved my life once more."

Sharara's gaze softened, "I see," She glanced at the enthusiastic crowd, "Why don't you go into the church, I'll make sure everyone gives you the space you need."

Steve gave short nod, "Thank you Mom, though I think I'd rather go to my house, I need some time to think."

Sharara nodded, then turned back to the villagers, "We will celebrate at sunrise! But for now Steve needs to rest from his travels," Her eyes gleamed almost dangerously, "You will all give him the space he requires!"

"Yes madam!" The villagers replied, eyes flickering towards Steve curiously. The player gave them no heed, simply heading down one of the paths that lead to the edge of the village- where he had built his home. Right on the edge, right where adventure could be right around the corner.

But for now Steve just wanted to rest.

He pushed open the wooden door, looking around the place he called home. There was no dust, a sign that his mother had looked after his place while he was gone. A small smile pressed on his lips, and Steve shut the door behind him.

He glanced around at the windows, but true to his mother's words none of the villagers had followed him to or near his house. With a sigh of relief, he closed his eyes, reaching into his inventory. His hand closed around the obsidian 'stone' he had brought back from the end. The dragon egg gleamed in his hand as he brought it out of his inventory.

He studied it, a strange feeling settling in him as he turned it over. He felt... almost drawn to it. Steve blinked, starting to wonder if it had been a good idea to bring it to this realm, he had no idea the powers this 'stone' could have. It didn't seem to be dangerous, besides the strange way it had teleported around in the End.

Steve sighed, before setting it down. He stared at the egg as it expanded from an item to its full size on the table, particles gleaming around as it sat there. Steve stared at it, not quite sure of what to do now. He had slain the dragon, the most powerful creature he knew of. What more could he do now? What more adventures could he seek out after the one he had just accomplished?

And why would he want to seek out another, now that Sol was gone?

 _Zzzzht!_

Steve froze of his heard the sound behind him- one that had haunted the End. The sound he had heard when hunting down Ender Pearls to make Eyes of Ender. His hand closed around his diamond sword, heart racing. Perhaps it was just his imagination- from being in the End so recently- because he knew these creatures rarely approached other mobs. Why would one come into the village- let alone his house?

Steve spun around, sword drawn, eyes leveled towards the ground. His heart was racing as he found himself staring at the cool, black body of an Enderman.

* * *

"Player."

Alex let out a small groan as the gruff voice echoed through the room. She forced her eyes opened, blinking in the sudden firelight of the small cell she was resting in. The soul sand below her hindered her movement as she forced herself to sit up, squinting her eyes as the fiery torch was swung closer to her cell. A gleaming row of iron bars separated her from her captors.

"What do you want, _your highness,"_ She snarled at the pink creature standing outside her cell. His two guards stiffened at her tone, reaching for the stone swords on their waists, but the creature simply held up a hand, and they went still.

"You will not speak to me in such a manner," The creature told Alex, tone not wavering. Her eyes had started to adjust to the sudden light, she was only used to the glow that came from the lava outside of the room her cell rested in. After a moment she could finally make out the shapes in front of her. It wasn't like she needed to- she had see them so many times that she knew what they looked like even more than she knew her own reflection.

It had been a long time since she had seen her reflection.

Alex glared at the Pigman outside of her cell. An enchanted gold sword sat in one hand, his second sword swung across his back. He held a torch in his other hand, the bright red flames throwing light across the dim prison. Alex pushed herself to her feet, attempting to stand level with the Pigman. Unlike his brethren that ruled the waste lands of the Nether, this Pigman was not zombified. His dark pink flesh had been tanned by the lava that flowed through the Nether, the sun having never touched this realm. His dark eyes glared at the player behind the bars, and he set the torch on the wall.

"...Very well then, _Travis,"_ She dragged out his name in the same mocking manner she had done with 'your highness'. The two wither skeleton guards stiffened again, but the Pigman gave them a few grunts, and they stepped back. Alex had never been able to understand the speech of the hostile mobs, but a neutral mob such as the Pigman could speak both the language of hostile and peaceful mobs. Alex had been tempted many times to ask if he could speak to animal mobs as well since he was a _Pig_ man, but more to spite him then to actually know. But she wasn't even sure if the Pigman prince had seen an animal based mob before in his life, since those only spawned in the overworld, and she wasn't about to waste her breath on him.

"Any Pigman would have beaten you for even considering to speak to me that way," Travis said slowly, "Even the wither skeletons hesitate with listening to my orders to stand down. You are dancing a thin line, Player."

Alex shrugged, "This prison is torture anyways, I really don't care anymore."

Her prison was truly a miserable place, a three-by-three block floor of energy-draining soul sand lined the bottom of her cell, leaving only a two block tall walls and ceiling of nether brick surrounding her, a set of iron bars trapping her in. Nether wart and mushrooms were slowly spreading throughout the dark dungeon. In one corner of the cell sat a crafting table, cracking in the heat of the Nether. Near the bars sat a cauldron of water, one of the few containers that could hold the substance in this realm. No water flowed naturally in the Nether, the heat of the blocks simply evaporating the liquid upon contact.

"If you'd rather be moved into a pool of lava, I'm sure that could be arranged," Travis said coolly.

She scanned the Pigman, not even startled by the threat, "Looks like you aren't dressed to your father's standards today, little prince."

He shifted, and Alex smirked. The Pigman prince was wearing a simple red robe, his golden cuffs that usually rested on his wrists nowhere in sight. In her time in this Nether prison she hadn't seen much of the king of the Pigman, but she despised him with every fiber of her being, he had been the one that ordered her confinement to her pitiful life. Alex prayed everyday to Notch that the king would finally decide to kill her, that she could be free from her imprisoned state, but everyday was simply the same as the last. As a player she was suppose to be connected to the great being called Notch, but Alex was sure he was the one that had put her in her cursed state in the first place.

She shivered at this thought, inching back from the bars of the cell. She was a player, she was suppose to be able to break through these blocks as if they were nothing! To tame the elements of this world and rise to the top! But she was nothing but a cursed being, a half creature, a mere shadow of what a legendary player was suppose to be.

"I went beyond the walls today, Father understands dressing for the occasion," Travis replied.

Beyond the walls, beyond the last active fortress in the Nether. The very last settlement of the Pigmen. She had wondered what the occasion had been for the Pigmen to send a group out- one that included the heir to the throne. Alex knew what was at risk if they stepped out beyond the last settlement of the Pigmen.

The virus.

Alex knew all too well what zombie Pigmen looked like- they crawled through the Nether like spiders in the overworld. Half beings which could barely string a sentence together, creatures whose only instinct left was to fight together when threatened.

Alex flinched as the sound of items being thrown through the bars. She looked up in time to see a pile of gold ingots floating above the soul sand, sticks scattered between them. The items jumped into her inventory as she shifted, and Prince Travis didn't even have to say what they wanted. She may be a cursed player, but there was still one thing she could do, and that was craft.

"I'm going to leave you alone, Player, as you craft those swords," Travis told her as Alex turned towards the worn crafting table in the corner of her cell. She closed her eyes as Travis continued, "Don't try to hide anything you craft from us again, we counted out the amount of gold in there this time around. If there's even one sword less I won't be able to protect you from Father's punishment. I hope you are smart enough to realize that it is foolish to resist our orders."

"Perhaps it's my only way to stay sane," Alex whispered, laying out two ingots on the table.

Even though she wasn't facing Travis, she could feel him glaring into her back, "You are nothing Alex," He said, and she stiffened as he said her name, "As the last player in this world, you do nothing but shame the ones that came before you," Alex had heard words like this so many times before, but that still didn't stop tears from stinging her eyes. She was worthless- she got it! Did every moment of her life have to be spent reminding her of that! "A player trapped in adventure mode," Travis mused quietly, "If it wasn't for your ability craft you'd be even more worthless than a piece of netherrack."

"Yeah, but I'm not worthless!" Alex snarled, wheeling around to face him, "Instead you get a lovely little slave to keep down here!" Several strands of hair fell in front of her face as she shook with rage, sweat sliding down her neck, "So instead of getting a nice little death sentence, I get to spend every moment of my miserable existence in this cell!"

"Is that why you resist so much?" Travis asked quietly, "Hoping to push us far enough to snap? Because it's not going to work, fighting will only make your situation worse Alex. Please, just do as you're asked."

"Go away," Alex whispered, tossing her first finished sword to the ground, and she placed another stick on the crafting table.

"It's quite a shame," Travis said, turning to leave. He left the torch on the wall as he headed towards the door of the prison, "For someone on what's called _adventure_ mode, you've never been able to take a step out of this room since we've found you."

Alex wheeled around, ready to hurl her worst insults at the prince, but the Pigman was already gone. By the time she had opened her mouth the iron door had been yanked shut by the wither skeletons, leaving her alone in the room. The torch crackled on the wall, providing light to the dim prison, but also raising the nearly unbearable heat even higher. She slammed two golden ingots onto the crafting table next to the stick, not even surprised as it popped into a sword. An amazing ability she had, able to forge weapons by simply having the ingredients, but it meant nothing to her.

She picked up the golden sword, looking over it. Oh, how she wished she could actually use it, tear the Pigmen apart. Make them pay for every moment of misery they had ever given her! Especially Travis- the stupid prince who found every excuse to come to her cell. Who acted like he was protecting her, politely 'asking' her to comply with them, trying to 'shield' her from the king.

Alex trembled, hatred building up in her. Hatred for the ones who had thrown her into the Nether- leaving her to die simply because she was stuck in adventure mode. Because she wasn't _good_ enough for them- as if she were just some object! She even felt anger towards her adoptive father- who had jumped into the portal after her. He would have lived if he wouldn't have followed her down here... The Blazes would have never killed him, she would have never seen the only person she cared about die...

But most of all she felt anger towards the Pigmen. Who had captured her, dragged her back to their kingdom, all with the intention of killing her for being a player. As if she had decided to be born a player!

But she couldn't even get her freedom through death.

 _Adventure mode._ She hated it, she hated everything about it. Blocks were nothing but solid walls to her, she couldn't even place a block even if one fell into her inventory! Now the Pigman had used her cursed state to their advantage. She was unable to escape, and she could craft in moments tools that could have taken them weeks to forge otherwise. She was a slave to them. After a childhood of being reviled and hated by the villagers, she was a _slave._

She wondered how long she had been down here in the Nether... Several years, at least. There was no end in sight either.

Alex took in a deep breath, the air hot and full of ashes. This was her life, she might as well live it out.

But Alex still couldn't help but look back on the days she had been with her father, back in the cool, safe overworld.

* * *

 **Well, there's chapter two. I hoped you guys enjoyed it. We've been introduced to another main character, Alex, who is trapped in the Nether, along with being trapped in adventure mode. While Steve can break blocks and enjoy Minecraft to almost its fullest, Alex is unable to break any blocks around her, leaving her quite helpless.**

 **In this story, "crafting" is not the only way to create objects. With the right tools, knowledge and supplies, any creature in Minecraft can create something, but similar to our world it would take time an effort to make it. But then you have "players" who have the ability to "craft". As long as they have the proper supplies and a crafting table, they are able to create things in moments, just like in the game. This is why the Pigmen keep Alex alive- she can craft things in moments for them. So like having a large inventory, "crafting" sets players apart from mobs and makes them much more powerful.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Bedrock

**Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I hope this doesn't happen again!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three - Bedrock**

A figure made their way down a cobblestone corridor, their feet tapping against the floor as they headed in further. They paused as they reached the end of the tunnel, glancing behind them as if afraid of someone spotting them. With no one in sight they uncrossed their folded arms, flipping a lever. The sounds of pistons could be heard, and the wall in front of them was pulled away, revealing a hidden room behind it.

The figure smirked, reaching back and tugging a hood over their head. They bowed their head for a moment, muttering a chat before they entered the room. They shuffled forward, head still bowed respectfully. In front of them stood a chamber lined with nether rack, fire crackling on the highest of pillars. A brewing stand sat in one corner, scattered potions and ingredients littering the blocks around it.

The figure didn't even glance around the room, simply headed towards a painting hanging on the wall. Once more she glanced around, before pulling the painting aside. An dark tunnel hung beyond the painting, the narrow passage ending a ways in. The figured entered, feet echoing against the ground as she approached the faint glow at the end of the passage.

A glowing white diamond-shaped object rested under a glass cover, on top of an obsidian display. The beacon glimmered, the only source of light in the dark room. The figure pulled off the glass covering, hesitantly reaching out with one arm towards the Nether Star resting within.

She paused when her hand was a few inches away, hesitation covering her face. A small bead of sweat ran down her brow, and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to touch the Nether Star.

The figure let out a hiss of pain at the contact, struggling to keep a scream at bay. A glow surrounded her, the figure writhing as it took hold. Her eyes were forced opened, the once purple orbs now glowing an empty white. Saliva dripped from her mouth as she opened it, several words escaping her tongue:

" _Master... it is done... the dragon has been slain..."_

* * *

Okay, Dusk knew that she had made a stupid mistake.

The Enderman stared down at the player, who was staring back– except his gaze was glued to her feet. Dusk didn't blame the player, her kind as known to attack upon making eye contact, but it was a bit unsettling to be only looking at the top of the player's head.

Dusk's eyes flickered towards the dragon egg, which was resting on the player's table. Dusk had been so patient when following the player– staying as far back as she could as he traveled back to the village, waiting for the moment she could swoop in and reclaim the egg. Despite her stealth up until now, she had teleported straight into his house as soon as she had sensed the egg– leading to her current encounter.

She cursed silently as she watched the player quietly draw his diamond sword, which was gleaming with it's own light. The Enderman teleported back a few blocks nervously, which caused the player to look up to see if she was gone.

And he looked right into her eyes.

Shivers ran through Dusk as they made eye contact, fear racing through her. Eyes, her most vulnerable, yet most powerful part of her, the source from where she drew her power. It took her entire willpower not to teleport away, not to shield herself and strike from the simple glance. The player's eyes widened, the realization of what he had just done sinking in. He quickly raised his enchanted sword, ready to fight.

Dusk zipped away as soon as the sword came slashing down, striking through empty air. Dusk reappeared behind the player, knowing that she couldn't flee without the egg. Her whole body was shaking with anger, mouth starting to open as the player wheeled around. This player had slain her queen! This player had slaughtered who knew how many of her kind to reach the End realm! Dusk's eyes starting to glow a deep purple, trembling as she struggled to keep the blinding anger back, Dusk seized the nearest block, a set of wooden planks that made up part of the floor, holding it up as Steve came charging.

The diamond sword sank into the soft wood, and Dusk quickly teleported away again as the player struggled to free his sword from the block. Dusk's rage was only growing, pricking under her skin, telling her to attack. The Enderman stumbled back, trying to keep the boiling hatred under control. She couldn't be reckless! She had to get the egg!

The player pulled his sword free from the wood, turning around to face her once more.

'Wait!' Dusk cried, hoping to get him to stop, but immediately cursed as she spoke. Players didn't understand the speech of hostile mobs! Dusk tried to keep her gaze away from the player's, but he seemed no longer afraid to make eye contact since they were already battling. She quickly zipped away again as he came charging, trying to compose herself.

"Over here!" The player snarled, readying his sword. Dusk blinked, her anger slipping away somewhat. What was he doing? Did he want her to attack or something? Were players simply that bloodthirsty?

"W-wait!" Dusk cried again, her voice cracking as she slipped into the speech of peaceful mobs. As a neutral mob she could speak both naturally, but never before had she needed a reason to talk to a peaceful mob. Well... player in this case, but they only spoke peaceful anyways.

The player froze mid-charge, eyes widening as he heard the word escape her mouth. He came stumbling to a stop, sword still gripped in his hands. He stared down at the floor, clearly startled. His eyes flickered up towards her, before quickly redirecting his gaze to the ground.

"D-did you just talk?" The player whispered, voice tense.

Dusk shifted, eyes flickering around the room, "...All m-mobs can talk..." She replied quietly, wondering why she was replying. She had just spoken to get him to stop attacking– it was suppose to give her time to grab the egg and flee– then get back to the End Portal! But instead she made no move towards the egg, scanning the player's home, and then the player himself.

The player blinked, his gaze still angled away from her, "...In all my years the only other mobs I've ever heard speak are villagers..." He muttered, then he shook his head, glancing over Dusk. "...Am I dreaming or something...? That dragon fight really did take it out of me, didn't it...?"

"Did you truly think that p-peaceful was the only l-language?" Dusk asked quietly, quivering as he mentioned her queen. "No w-wonder your kind slaughter so recklessly!"

The player rubbed his head, "...Yeah... Either I'm way out of it or I'm hallucinating... So, um... Mr. Enderman, if you're truly here could you just go to a cave or something? I'm exhausted..."

"I'm a _girl!"_ Dusk snapped, eyes flaring to a dark magenta, mouth quivering open, and the player flinched at the action, raising his sword. Dusk managed to get herself under control, and didn't move. But she had the energy to teleport ready, just in case he decided to attack again. "And of course I'll l-leave– as soon as you g-give me the egg!"

The player blinked. "...And you now you have genders...? Whatever," He muttered, sheathing his sword. Dusk blinked, startled that he was just putting away his only means of defending himself so quickly. Perhaps he was exhausted as he claimed... "And eggs? Go bother Randel for that– he's the egg farmer..."

' _No!'_ Dusk snarled in hostile, causing the player to recoil. "N-not a..." She struggled to think of the mob's peaceful name, "Not a c-chicken egg! I want that egg, the one you stole!" She raised a thin, blocky arm towards the table, pointing at the obsidian-colored dragon egg. The player's eyes flickered towards the egg, and he looked at it for a moment.

"...That's a rock," He said, rolling his eyes. "Eggs don't have a block form."

Dusk could only stare at the player in disbelief. Was this idiot truly the same person that had slain her queen?! This thickheaded creature was a legendary player– the great beings she had only heard about in myths! Yet he seemed to have the same level of intelligence as some animal mob!

"...You i-invade my home..." Dusk growled. "Kill my qu-queen, and take her egg– dragging it back to the overworld– only to call it a _r-rock?!"_

He blinked. "I guess..." The player let out a yawn, eyes flickering. "Look... if it means that much to you, then just take it... I'm honestly not in the mood to fight another End creature..." He turned away, a bitterness entering his eyes. "You've taken enough from me already."

Dusk closed her mouth, trying to keep herself from lashing out. He was just giving it to her– he didn't truly understand what it was. She just needed to take it and get out of here, since there was no way she could defeat him in a fight. She teleported over to the egg, carefully examining it, but she saw no immediate damage. Sighing in relief, she carefully scooped up the egg into her long and slender arms. A warmth spread through her as she came in contact with the shell, all of her tension melting away. She had the queen's egg, everything was going to be okay...

The player blinked a few more times. "You know..." He muttered. "This probably isn't a dream of any kind, because it's not really a nightmare... and that's all I've been having lately," He looked up at her, and Dusk stiffened as their gaze met for a few seconds, and he quickly looked away. "...But that means there's a talking Enderman in my house..."

Dusk took in a deep breath. "I wasn't p-planning on speaking to you..." She muttered, hugging the egg close. "I have full plans on leaving now," Her eyes narrowed. "If I was s-strong enough I would kill you, for what you did to my queen, but I have more important duties now."

Dusk looked down at the egg, she needed to get it back to the End as quickly as possible. Back into the cool safeness and darkness, far from the burning sun and toxic water. She could still sense the player watching her, clearly still in a state of confusion. Dusk was just starting to realize how lucky she was, at any other time he would probably be fully ready to fight her, but she had caught him off guard while he was still recovering.

 _Crack!_

Dusk nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the sound, chills rushing through her. She tightened her grip on the egg, fear running through her. She stared down at the egg, panic building as she saw the tiniest of cracks appearing along the obsidian shell.

 _Zzzht!_

* * *

Steve stumbled out of the teleportation, stomach churning. Sure, he had used Ender Pearls a couple of times, but never had he felt teleportation so unexpectedly. He raised a hand, bracing himself against a stone wall as he tried to keep himself from throwing up. He hadn't know that Enderman could teleport other mobs around, but apparently so!

Then again, this one could talk...

Steve raised his head, startled to find himself in a cave, it's dark shadowy passageway surrounding him. Several torches were on the wall, showing that he had been in this cave system before. Standing right in front him was the Enderman– who was still holding the stone she claimed to be an egg. She was staring down at it with wide eyes, panic on her face.

Steve looked around, his own eyes widening as he realized that the floor wasn't all stone– several black and gray blocks were visible every few steps.

"You took us to _bedrock_ level?!" Steve cried, pointing towards the unbreakable stone– the blocks that kept the overworld separated from the deadly void.

She let out several garbled cries, the eerie sounds of an Enderman that sent chills down Steve's back. Yet he didn't feel threatened– she had only tried to flee before when he had attacked– even after he had looked into her eyes. That had never happened to him with an Enderman before, and honestly he was intrigued.

"Um... hello?" Steve asked, waving a blocky hand. "You teleported me too– can you take me back? And, um, speak like the villagers again?"

"It's... hatching..." The Enderman whispered– it was just so weird for her to be speaking like a villager!

"Um, cool," Steve said, shifting. This was not what he had in mind when planning on trying to get some rest! "Look, you have your rock-egg thingy, so can you please get me out of this cave?"

The Enderman looked towards him, though she didn't make eye contact with him. "D-do you understand, Player? It's h-hatching! The egg is hatching! There's going to be an Ender Dragon in the o-overworld."

Steve blinked as she said this, trying to take in the words. Player? What was that? And hatching... this rock really was an egg?

A dragon egg?

This seemed to snap Steve out of his stupor, and he jumped back as he heard a crack coming from the obsidian egg.

"W-wait–" He began, staring at the expanding cracks. "You mean that there's _another_ dragon?! In that thing?!"

Unfortunately the Enderman didn't seem to be listening to him. She was cradling the egg close, muttering strange sounds to herself, pacing. Steve flinched as another crack appeared on the egg– perhaps this really was just another nightmare of his? There couldn't be another Ender Dragon– not when he had just already killed one of those demons!

There couldn't be another one of those creatures that had killed Sol.

The Enderman let out a warble of fear and the egg cracked one more time, the shell crumbling away.

Steve whipped out his sword, the enchanted diamond blade gleaming in the dim cave. He aimed it towards the Enderman's arms, paling at the creature he saw in her grasp. Chills raced up Steve as the being raised it's head, those sharp violet eyes looking into his purple ones.

The young Ender Dragon was tiny compared to it's mother, it's slim body only the size of a cat. A long neck craned up, those eyes peering towards Steve. The dragon's long tail was swinging side to side, a pair of large wings unfurling. The Enderman stumbled as the Ender Dragon shifted, clearly not knowing what to do with it.

The Enderman looked towards Steve, her eyes flaring up as she noticed the sword in his hand. He shivered as her mouth started to open, purple particles surrounding her.

" _Put that thing away!"_ She screamed at Steve, causing the baby dragon to flinch fear. It looked up towards Steve desperately, attempting to escape the Enderman's grasp.

"I'm not letting that monster set step in the overworld!" Steve cried. "Put it down so I can kill it!"

" _No!"_ The Enderman screamed again, turning away, hugging the Ender Dragon close. "I will not let you slay our future queen!"

"It's a monster!" Steve cried.

"It's a _baby!"_ The Enderman cried back, spinning around to face him. She held the hatchling close, which was currently struggling to free itself from the Enderman. The dragon raised its head towards Steve once more, whimpering at him. "Would you kill a baby?!"

Steve's heart was racing... it was a dragon. They were demons– devils! His mother had told him all about them, they were heartless beasts that sent Enderman to terrorize the overworld! They couldn't be trusted or allowed to live– it would only kill!

But it was a baby...

Images flashed through Steve's mind– Sol as a baby wolf, bounding at his heels. Playing with the young villagers growing up, and watching the young ones now that he was grown. He pictured the harmless babies of the animal mobs that came every spring, sweet and innocent.

Steve's hand trembled, but he lowered the sword.

He couldn't kill a baby.

"It can't stay here," Steve growled. "Dragons do not belong in the overworld."

The Enderman snorted. "Says the one that brought it here."

"Ra!" The dragon yipped, once more trying to break free of the Enderman. She hesitated, glancing at Steve. He gulped, but slipped his sword into his inventory. The Enderman knelt down, carefully setting the Ender Dragon on the stone and bedrock floor. It let out a happy coo, and stumbled forward.

Steve took a step back, not wanting to be anywhere near it. "Hey, I had no idea that it was an egg! I thought there was only one dragon!"

The Enderman rolled her eyes. "Only one dragon at a time– a new queen always rises when the last one falls. Except for this little dragon was suppose to hatch in the End like all dragons– not in the toxic overworld!"

"Hey, I don't want it here either," Steve said. "We need to get it out of here!"

The Enderman sighed. "Already one step ahead of you– I had no plans on staying here. As much as I want to kill you for slaying my queen, I know I don't have that power. If you swear not to bring anymore harm to the creatures of the End, then I'll take the young queen here and leave for the End portal right away."

Steve backed away again, only because the dragon was inching it's way towards him. Luckily she wasn't use to her feet just yet, and was only moving several inches at a time.

"Do you even know where the End portal is?" Steve growled.

The Enderman bristled. "Of course, I followed you here from it. Besides, my eyes can make out any End energy, they'll lead me right towards it."

"So you can take that thing out of here then," Steve mused. "So if I promise not to bring any harm to that devil, then you'll take it back to your realm?"

"Yes," The Enderman hissed. "I'll even teleport you back to that horrible place of wood. Just swear you'll never harm a being of the End."

"You Enderman have attacked my village before," Steve muttered, glaring at her.

"We never start fights!" The Enderman snarled. "So unless you threatened us, we would have never attacked you!"

"All you Enderman attacked me when I went to the End!" Steve countered.

"Oh wow!" The Enderman exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "You come to our home and kill our queen– and what do you know? We defended them!"

Steven opened his mouth, but he found no counter argument. He paused, realizing after a moment that she was right– he had intruded into their home.

But it had to be done, he had to rid the world of that demonic dragon.

Steve eyed the Ender Dragon at his feet. This one was just a child though... much different from the adult he had slain. This Enderman had proved that it was intelligent enough, so perhaps if it was the one to raise this dragon it wouldn't grown to become dark like it's mother had...

"You take me home," Steve said. "And then take yourself and that dragon back to your realm right away– and promise that your kind will never set foot near the village again– _then_ I will promise not to harm either of you. Does that sound fair?"

The Enderman gritted her teeth. "I cannot speak for all of my kind, but I swear neither me or Umbra will bring you harm."

"...Umbra?" Steve asked.

"Yes, Umbra. That was what Her Majesty wished for her daughter to be named... Umbra! What are you doing?!"

"Agh!" Steve cried, staring down at his feet. The Ender Dragon– Umbra– had coiled around one of his legs, rubbing her head against him, letting out a small rumble. The Enderman suddenly teleported forward, grabbing the young dragon, before zipping back.

"Rah?" Umbra whimpered, confused. She looked towards Steve, tilting her head.

"K-keep that thing away from me!" Steve cried, bolting back. "Just go, alright?! Just go, I promise I won't slay anymore Ender creatures unless they attack first, okay!"

"Yes, we're leaving," The Enderman growled, holding the Ender Dragon close.

"Rhhh!" Umbra cried out in alarm as the Enderman teleported back a few blocks. Once again the dragon struggled, the back of her throat starting to glow purple. Steve's eyes widened, recognizing the breath attack that the adult Ender Dragon had used on him. The little Ender Dragon let out a sneeze-like sound, launching the sphere of glowing gas.

The attack hit the ground, the light flaring up to the bright purple. Steve quickly raised his hand to block out the harsh flare as it exploded, and slowly lowered it after a moment to take a look at the damage. To his surprise the gas had actually destroyed several of the ground blocks– looking like a miniature Creeper had just exploded.

But it was _what_ block had just been destroyed that made Steve freeze up.

"That's... not... possible..." Steve whispered, and the Enderman looked just as shocked.

"Hrr?" Umbra tilted her head, whimpering slightly.

"That was bedrock..." The Enderman whispered. "Sh-she just... she just destroyed a piece of bedrock..."

Steve cautiously stepped forward, looking at the small indent. It looked like several pieces of stone had been vaporized in the blast, but he wasn't blind. One of the blocks that had just been there was bedrock– but now it was gone.

Bedrock was suppose to be unbreakable. This wasn't possible.

Steve ran his hand over the small hole, relieved to see another piece of bedrock below.

"It didn't break all the way through– the void is still sealed off," Steve muttered with a sigh of relief. The void was a mass of pure chaos and destruction, if it had been opened up to this world...

"H-how..." The Enderman muttered. "N-not even Her Majesty could do that..."

She looked down at the small dragon in her arms, who let out a toothy yawn.

Steve, who was both too exhausted and too stunned to even realize the disbelief running through him, looked towards the Enderman. "Get it away from the bedrock level– take that thing back to the End!"

The Enderman grunted, and she raised an arm. "Trust me, you don't need to say that. I'm going to send you back to that house of yours– remember your side of the deal."

Steve said nothing, closing his eyes. Purple particles surrounded him, and he felt the familiar sensation of teleportation wash over him. His whole body twisted, and suddenly he vanished from the cave with a flash.

He stumbled as the teleportation sensation faded away from him, and he opened his eyes. His world was still spinning around him, but he recognized this as his house. Letting out a small sigh, he closed his eyes again, dizzily stumbling towards his bed in the corner. He collapsed onto it, placing his blocky hands on his head.

What in Notch's name had he just witnessed?

* * *

' _Master... it is done... it has been slain...'_

The voice echoed through the emptiness, reaching the farthest corners of the being's mind, one that had been in a slumber for so long. It shifted as it heard the voice, eyes slowly flickering open.

They were a void.

A white void of nothingness. A faint glow pulsed through the eyes as the being slowly gathered energy around itself, trying to solidify. The energy around it flickered and crackled, as if about to slip away from it. An echoey groan came from the being, trying to stay in control.

It's whole image flickering, the being took shape, feet slipping from the dimension it had been sleeping in, at last slipping into the overworld. It took in a strangled breath as it stumbled through the stronghold, following the low sounds of the portal. It's body kept flickering in and out of view– threatening to slip back away into the realm it had come from.

The being's empty eyes glowed brighter as it stared at the the portal to the End. The starry abyss gleamed up at him, lava boiling far under it. This world's only connection with the End, the portal frames unbreakable.

To most.

The being felt its image flickering once more– it could not remain in this realm for much longer. It's feet started to disappear, the fading slowly working its way up its legs. A moment of panic crossed its face, and the being lashed out. Blocky fists hit the portal frames, shattering the unmovable blocks with a single blow.

The starry portal energy vanished as the portal was broken, the bridge between the two worlds gone in a single second.

A glow engulfed the being, its whole body pulsing in and out of view. With a flash of white light the being vanished completely, slipping away back into the realm it had come from. It flickered into view for one last moment, a smirk on its face, empty eyes gleaming as he faded away.

* * *

 **Like Steve said, the void is a known force of chaos in the world of Minecraft. It surrounds the End and Nether realms, while lying underneath the overworld. The void destroys and kills anything that touches it– including players in creative mode.**

 **In both the Nether and the overworld the void is held off by a special block known as bedrock. In this story bedrock is unbreakable no matter what– even in creative mode. So the fact that Umbra, the baby Ender Dragon, can break it is something beyond even the powers of creative mode.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Portal

**To the guest reviewer named "T" from last chapter– Herobrine has already appeared in this story. He was the "being" at the end of last chapter– the one that destroyed the portal.**

 **Thank you for the reviews and the support so far! Here's chapter four! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Four – Portal**

'Oh Umbra, please stop struggling,' Dusk whispered as the baby Ender Dragon writhed in her grip. She teleported them several blocks forward– since teleporting seemed to calm down the dragon for a some time.

But it never lasted for long– because soon she would struggle once more, looking over the Enderman's shoulder.

Back in the direction of the player.

Dusk shivered at the thought, she had just thought that Umbra was being a curious child after hatching. But the farther they got from the player, the more desperate she became. Dusk closed her eyes for a moment, shifting. Why was this happening– the young queen couldn't possibly be missing her mother's murderer!

"Rah!" Umbra whimpered, the dragon looking up at Dusk with her purple eyes. The dragon's gaze was beautiful, eyes much deeper than the last queen's had been. Was this a trait of a young dragon, or would this remain with her as she grew? Dusk didn't know, but the only thing she should be worrying about was getting to the portal.

'Don't worry,' Dusk muttered, teleporting to calm down the dragon once more. 'I sense the stronghold up ahead, soon we will be safe in the wonderful End.'

The dragon let out a grumble, peering over Dusk's shoulder once more.

...It was probably just because she had hatched with him around, that's all. Of course Umbra would be upset to leave something familiar behind. The overworld was no place for a dragon, so she was trying to seek comfort in some form. As soon as they were back at the End Umbra would most certainly feel safe, and stop wanting the player.

Dusk nodded at this, and teleported forward once more.

'...Perfect...' She muttered, looking about at the purple particles drifting up from the ground. Most creatures couldn't see them except for when the energy was being used– such as when teleporting, but an Enderman could see all energy that came from the End. This place was radiating with Ender energy– meaning that the portal was right below them.

She didn't bother looking for an entrance– Dusk simply closed her eyes and teleported down into the ruins of the stronghold. She found herself relaxing as her feet landed on the cool stone, finally free from the blistering daylight. She opened her eyes, looking about the stronghold. While not the End, it was the closest she could get here in the overworld.

Strongholds were built by Enderman generations ago, as places to house their Queen's portals. Ender Dragons could summon them to link the two worlds, though it greatly exhausted the dragons. Dusk knew that there was no way that Umbra could pull off such a feat at her age, which was why they were seeking the portal the player had fixed. They'd have to destroy the link once they went through just to be safe– but Umbra could always create another one when she was older if they needed to get to the overworld for some reason.

Though the player could probably just fix it again.

"Rah!" Umbra whimpered, her purple eyes fixated on the ceiling. Dusk glanced up, but saw no threat of any kind. A look of longing was in the dragon's eyes, though she no longer struggled against Dusk. The Enderman smiled at this, before reaching out, trying to sense the aura of the End portal.

Nothing.

'...Strange...' Dusk muttered, perhaps she needed to be closer to sense it? 'Don't worry, we can find it on our own, it should be in the center of the stronghold.'

Dusk set off down the empty halls– the opened chests showed that Steve had enjoyed raiding the strongholds before coming to the End. Dusk tried not to let this bother her too much– Enderman didn't use strongholds anymore. Enderman that were in the overworld were either outcasts or those with an adventurous heart, they wouldn't need it either. The only purpose of this place was the portal, which had been fixed by Steve. She just needed to go through and return Umbra to where she belonged, then disable the portal from the End's side.

Then things could go back to normal.

'I should have sensed the portal by now...' Dusk muttered, mostly to herself, since Umbra's eyes were starting to droop. 'I recognize these halls– the player used them to leave after coming back through the portal...'

What was going on?

Dusk paused as she made a turn– the portal room was right there. Why wasn't she sensing anything?

She shifted Umbra in her arms, and carefully made her way towards the entrance to the portal room. Dusk felt her heart racing, a strange chill in the air. She was a being that did enjoy a cooler climate, but this was no natural chill. It almost reminded her of being in the precious of the queen... but the feeling was not a welcoming one.

Something powerful had been here.

"Rhh?" Umbra's eyes flickered open, peering around uncertainly. Dusk patted her back, and stepped into the portal room.

There stood the stairs that lead to the portal frames, and she could hear the boiling of lava that sat under the portal. Dusk still sensed nothing though, and she gulped. She slowly mounted the steps, ready to look into the starry abyss of the end portal.

A pool of lava met her gaze instead.

Dusk blinked, staring at the portal frames, no swirling portal between them. Her eyes flickered across them with a panic. It didn't take her long to notice that there was only eight frames when their should have been twelve– the end portal frames that were there had an Eye of Ender in place, but that didn't change the fact that four were gone.

Meaning the portal was gone.

Dusk could only stare at the broken portal– there seemed to be no order to the destroyed blocks– they were just gone. Dusk clutched Umbra close to her chest, the dragon shifting uncertainly.

'The portal is destroyed...' She whispered. The last entrance to the End had been destroyed... And with the queen dead there was no one to make another one. Dusk glanced down uncertainly at Umbra, who had just tucked her head under one of her wings. She was too young to create a portal, let alone having the understanding of what would be needed of her even if she did!

Dusk stumbled back, heart racing wildly. She had no way to get Umbra back to the End– an Ender Dragon was trapped in the overworld. This wasn't happening– not when she had just gotten the egg back! This wasn't–

Dusk paused mid panic, realizing that she did know of a being that had gotten to the End working with a broken portal. A being that had managed to fix a portal that should have been dormant. A small flicker of hope bloomed in Dusk, though much more dread rushed back over her.

She didn't want to see him again.

But what other choice did she have?

'...Well Umbra,' Dusk said quietly. 'It looks like we have to go back to the player.'

 _Zhht!_

And with that Dusk teleported back to the surface of the overworld, leaving the shattered portal behind.

* * *

"I just want to thank everyone for coming to the celebration of my son's success," Sharara said, her priestess robes flowing behind her as she turned, facing the gathered village. Steve smiled uncertainly out of the ones who had raised him, giving a small wave. "Steve has done wonders for this village, having placed his life at risk time and time again to defend our home. And now we gather here for his greatest achievement yet– for the slaying the demon of the End– the Ender Dragon!"

The village erupted into cheers, while Steve shifted, images of the baby Ender Dragon entering his mind. They believed that the dragon was forever gone– but now there was a young one to take it's place... one that was wandering the overworld...

No. It was going back to the End, where it would never have to cross his mind again.

But the image of the bedrock shattering refused to leave Steve's mind.

"Steve."

Realizing his mother was speaking directly to him, he raised his head, smiling at the one that had raised him from a child. The one who had taught him everything he knew, who had encouraged him to follow his heart. To fight, explore, learn– he was who he was because of her. She had taken both him and Sol into her home, into her heart...

Steve smiled, joyful for her, but sorrowful for the loss of Sol.

"I know you have never met him, but I know that Shawn would be proud of you as well," Sharara said softly, and the village lowered their heads respectfully. Steve's eyes flickered towards the blacksmith ruins on the edge of the village.

Shawn, Sharara's late husband. He had died not long before Steve had been found by the village, he was the man that would have been his foster father. The village spoke little of him, the pain was too much for their priestess, so Steve had known little of Shawn. All he knew was that a terrible accident was the cause of his death, Shawn having died in a fire. The burned blacksmith ruins– all that remained of where Shawn had worked– they stood at the edge of the village as tribute to him.

"That means a lot to me, Mother," Steve whispered. He may have never known the man, but the idea was comforting that someone out there would have been a father for him.

"We shall end this celebration with a toast to our hero– my son, Steve!" Sharara said, raising her arms up. "Steve, it may seem that you have accomplished all that one can, I but _know_ that fate is holding a great purpose for you. Your journey has only began!"

Steve smiled for her sake– but he had no desire to pursue anything else. If anything, he simply wanted to rest.

Losing Sol had simply been too much for him– like losing a brother.

But still he raised a glass with the rest of the village, toasting to his future. All Steve could see in his future was protecting the village, perhaps traveling to his scattered bases for a chance to be alone. But no more adventures, no more action.

It was high noon when the celebration finally ended, and he found himself eating lunch with his mother in the church. He bit into the bread, a village classic, with little care for what the taste was. He glanced around the chapel with a sigh, tapestries and banners all hung on the walls, all paying respect to the creator of their world.

"Mother, aren't the tapestries for Notch getting a bit dusty?" Steve asked, noticing the flecks clinging to the cloth. Perhaps one normally wouldn't notice, but Steve had spent what felt like most of his childhood trying to keep them clean.

She paused, looking up at the banners with a look of disgust. Steve held back a laugh– leave it to his mother to get upset at something unclean being in her church.

"...Must of slipped my mind while you were gone," She muttered, chuckling. "Guess I was too worried about you– don't worry though– I'll have them clean in no time."

Steve nodded, taking the last bite of his lunch. He was careful to brush all of the crumbs into his hand so nothing got onto the ground.

Surprisingly, even as the son of the village priest, Steve wasn't one that necessarily worshipped. Yes, believed that Notch had shaped their world, and Steve had interacted with the church much of his life, but it had never been the center of his life like it was for many of the villagers. He supposed he saw the best way to truly honor Notch was to see the world he had made first hand, to defend it, to truly live the life he had.

But at the same time he wasn't truly well versed in the legends and creations of this world. Instead of keeping him cooped up and studying, his mother had urged him to be in the outdoors and learn for himself. Perhaps she had been more lenient than most mothers since he had a wolf to defend him then.

"Mother?" Steve asked, looking up at the tapestries.

"Yes Steve?"

"...What am I?"

Sharara looked unsurprised– this was a question he had asked many times. He knew he wasn't a villager, but at the same time he was like no other mobs. He had met no other being like him.

Steve cleared his throat. "I mean, I feel that I'm a good person, but... but I am much more violent than the villagers. I love to fight– just like a hostile mob! But at the same time I defend what's important, like a golem. But I speak and live like villagers and..." He clenched his fists. "I mean, why am I here? You guys call me a hero– but at the same time aren't I just a monster to the mobs I slay?"

Sharara paused, looking towards him. She was at the front of the chapel, an unreadable expression on her face. She closed her eyes, sighing.

"Is being different wrong, Steve?" She asked in a quiet tone. "Because to me it isn't– you're family. What you are doesn't matter to me..." She paused. "And why you are here...? That's a difficult question to answer... but I know that you have a wonderful destiny. Never settle Steve– there is so much we still don't know. Just keep doing what you're doing."

Steve nodded. "Thank you Mother," He sighed. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to head home now– I'm still tired from everything."

She smiled. "Get all the rest you need."

"I'll speak to you later," Steve said, and he headed towards the chapel doors. He let the crumbs in his hand scatter to the ground as he stepped outside, watching as the small village went about their life.

So simple, so predictable. But it was home.

Rest... it did sound nice, even if it had been an excuse.

With a sigh Steve headed down the road towards his home.

Once he reached the modest building he called home he pushed open the door, just in time to see a black creature racing towards him. Steve tensed, but was knocked to the ground as the being leaped at him.

Steve grunted, finding a pair of purple eyes staring happily at him.

"Agh!" He cried, shoving the baby Ender Dragon off of him. He quickly rose to his feet, slamming the door, panting. He stared at Umbra, who was happily dancing around his legs. The player slowly looked up, finding a nervous looking Enderman.

"...Hi..." Dusk said, shifting.

"I told you to get this thing out of here!" Steve cried, pointing down at the dragon. Umbra was nuzzling his leg, making a purring-like noise as she did so. He kicked the dragon away, making Dusk tense.

"I... know," Dusk said slowly, and she gulped. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but..." She sighed. "But I need your help, Player."

* * *

Couldn't one get any peace and quiet around here?

Okay, maybe 'peace' wasn't a possible thing when trapped in a Nether dungeon– but Alex would give just about anything to be able to have time alone. Well, she usually _was_ alone, but still...

Basically, she didn't want anymore of these unnecessary visits from Travis.

Alex was sitting cross legged on the soul sand floor of her cell, glaring at the pigman prince. Like his last visit, he wasn't dressed in his normal attire. His red robe had clearly been worn more than once– which was practically unheard of with royalty. Nothing about him screamed 'royalty' at the moment– except for the twin enchanted gold swords across his back, which he always had on him.

He was standing on the opposite side of her bars, with a stack of _books_ in his hands.

Interrogation was something she had expected from the Pigmen. Taunting, mocking, beatings– unfortunately they were nothing new either. And of course the crafting, so much crafting. She was their crafting slave, and nine times out of ten when they made a visit, it was for her to craft. And of course they occasionally showed to give her food and water.

This was not a normal visit– and Alex did not like it!

"Can you read?" Travis asked, the Pigman prince holding up one of the books he was holding.

"What do you want?" Alex growled– where were his stupid guards? Usually they should be all over her by now with how she was treating their prince.

"I want to know if you can read," Travis asked, still holding up the book. Alex glared at him, not sure of what he was trying to accomplish. How would any answer benefit him? Perhaps Pigmen couldn't read and they wanted to find another use for her?

"...No..." Alex said slowly– she would not be taken advantage of anymore! She crafted their weapons, she wasn't about to do anything else!

Besides, she didn't even know if she remembered how to read. Her adoptive mother had never been fond of her, so she had ended up spending most of her time with her father in the forge.

"Shame," Travis said, setting down the other books, and opening up the one he had showed her. "Books are very interesting– they hold far more knowledge than any of us ever could. I suppose I could attempt to teach you, though I do not think my father would like that."

...So he could read? Then why had he bothered asking her?

"This one is my favorites, it's a tale of many of the myths and legends that our people have collected over the years," Travis looked at her. "Though I personally believe that it is history. Did you ever hear that players were once much more common in this world?"

Alex let out a low growl. "Yes, more times than I care for."

He pretended not to notice her bitterness. "Notch was said to live right alongside them– even though they were in survival mode players were said not to hunt mobs in this time. As a being of creative mode, Notch could gift them with whatever he pleased," Travis turned the page. "I could go into the whole history, but I think the important thing is the fact that adventure mode was a state of punishment for players that abused their powers."

Alex flinched.

Travis snapped the book shut, looking over her. His dark eyes studied her, gaze unreadable.

"I am trying to understand you, Player, and I have several questions for you," The prince said, setting the book on top of the rest of the pile. "Where and how were you born? There have been no players for nearly a millennia, according to Pigmen history of course. Who were your parents? There should be no players around to give birth to you."

Alex closed her eyes. "You're asking pointless questions, Travis."

"I have other ways of getting answers from you," The Pigman said evenly.

Fear crawled through Alex, she pretended that she didn't care what they did to her, but their harshest methods still got to her. She couldn't handle anymore of their 'questioning'–

"I don't know," Alex whispered. "I don't have any answers for you– because I don't even remember myself. My earliest memories are of waking up outside the village as a child– I don't remember anything before that. The only parent in my life was my adoptive father– the blacksmith of the village," Tears ran down her face as her thoughts turned to her father. "He was the only one that cared about me, the only one that defended me. No one else wanted me– and he followed me into the Nether when they banished me," Alex gulped. "He'd still be alive if he hadn't done that. It's my fault–"

She stopped mid sentence, realizing just how much she was saying. She lowered her head, she had only wanted to explain enough so he knew that she truly didn't have any answers. But instead she had shown him a weakness, she had allowed her broken self to show. Why had she messed up like that? Why had she allowed those memories to surface? Why–

"...What about your adventure mode?" Travis asked, leaning forward. "What did you do for Notch to trap you in such a state?"

"I–" Alex's voice cracked. "I've asked myself that so many times," She whispered. "I've been like this my whole life, I didn't do anything," She looked up at him, more tears in her green eyes. "I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Travis' gaze showed no pity– he watched her with only fascination.

"Perhaps you did something so horrid that Notch removed your memories as well," He muttered. "But what would a child do to earn such a fate? Perhaps you players are simply that corrupted– Notch should have never trusted another being with his powers..."

Alex clenched her fists. "I would have held nothing against your kind if it wasn't for what you've done to me– don't you dare act like I'm the evil one here– when your kind is the one that has imprisoned me for being what I am!" Alex closed her eyes. "What have players ever done to your kind anyways?! You said yourself that there hasn't been any in your lifetime alone! We've done nothing to you!"

Travis' eyes narrowed. "Are you that naive?" He asked in a low tone. "Do you not even realize that what players did _generations_ ago still plague the Pigmen today?" Travis twitched. "The zombie virus did not originate in the Nether, Player, it came from the overworld," He glared at her. "In the overworld it was controllable, limited, but once you players opened up portals to our world..."

Alex paused. "The zombie Pigmen...?"

"They were all once Pigmen– hundreds of sprawling kingdoms across the entire Nether," Travis whispered. "Civilizations reduced to nothing, the infections didn't just target the dead like in your world, but the living as well. One zombie Pigman could infect a whole kingdom in days..." He glanced towards the iron door that lead out of the room that held her cell. "Cerdo is the last standing fortress in the Nether– there were several others that fell recently– in this century– but we're all that's left. Players brought this disease upon us, corrupting this whole realm."

"...But I didn't do that," Alex whispered. "You can't hold that against me..."

Travis shook his head. "Your kind is dangerous– it's a miracle that Father is keeping alive– which is probably a good thing though."

"Can't lose your slave," Alex muttered through gritted teeth.

Travis shook his head again. "No, Player, killing you may be killing our last hope," He looked over her. "Though I do not understand how one in adventure mode could fulfill it... but you're the closest thing we have."

"Fulfill what?" Alex snapped.

Travis opened his mouth– but what the Pigmen prince was going to say was lost as the iron door was thrown open, several Pigmen guards entering. Alex tensed, scrambling back at the sight of them. Travis sighed, looking disappointed.

"Your Majesty!" They cried, bowing. "Your father has been searching everywhere for you!"

"I know," Travis said, picking up his books. "I was hoping it would be a bit longer until he found me down here."

"He requests your presence right away," The guards said, still bowing. Alex was at least glad that they were speaking in peaceful so she knew what they were saying– she hated it when they'd chatter away in the language of hostile mobs. The Pigmen tended to speak peaceful to each other so the other mobs of the Nether couldn't listen in on their private conversations.

"We will speak another time," Travis told Alex, and she sneered.

"I look forward to it," She said sarcastically, making the guards stiffened. She regretted her words as soon as she spoke them– knowing that this wouldn't slide. Travis held up his hand to keep the Pigmen guards still, but she knew that they'd be back as soon as he was gone.

"I know that you do not mean it," Travis said. "But I personally _do_ look forward to our next talk," He headed towards the door, pausing before he exited. "Oh, Alex? I am sorry for what happened to your father."

Alex stared at him, but before she could even muster the thoughts to consider a reply, the iron door was slammed shut, leaving her alone once more.

* * *

 **In this story, Ender Dragons have the ability to form and shape End portals** **– though it comes at the cost of much of their energy, so it is rarely done. This power is released upon their death** **– which is why a portal appears after the Ender Dragon is defeated.** **The portals that are on the overworld side are housed in strongholds** **– which have not been used in generations, leading to their power sources (Eyes of Ender) disintegrating over time. By placing more Eyes of Ender in the frames, Steve was able to reactivate the portal, accessing the End.**

 **If Umbra has the ability to form portals she is too young and too inexperienced to use it, meaning that they are truly trapped.**

 **Just to note, Dusk is a bit mislead with Steve. She knows that he can fix portals, and believes he can fix the one that Herobrine destroyed last chapter. But Herobrine destroyed the frames itself** **– which is beyond Steve's power to do anything for.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Truce

**Chapter Five – Truce**

"Perhaps you should take Aiden?"

Steve sighed as he slipped several potions away into his inventory, realizing that he probably should have expected this. His mother was by his side as he packed, handing him small things like bread, a bucket of water, and his compass. Steve knew that many of these items would be useless where he was going– not that his mother knew that.

"No, I... I want to walk to the jungle..." Steve replied, stomach churning as he lied to his mother. Sharara glanced at him as he hastily went through his chest, slipping his bow and arrows into his inventory. "I don't want to be rushing anywhere..."

Aiden was his horse, and while he hadn't been ridden in a while, it would be a death sentence to bring him to where he was going.

"Perhaps you shouldn't leave at all," Sharara said after a moment, and Steve froze up. "If Sol's death is weighing you down this much, then maybe that's a sign that you should be at home, not racing off."

Steve's mind scrambled for an excuse. "That's why I'm heading to my jungle base– I'd like to bring Tang home. I miss having someone by my side, and even if the jungle is her home I think I'd do better off with her here..."

It was an excuse he had made up off of the top of his head, but it had the effect he wanted. Seeing the concern on his mother's face hurt, but she nodded sadly in understanding. He closed his eyes, trying to push out the guilt of him lying.

"Just be safe, okay?" She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I need you... to come home safely. Be careful on your way to the jungle, don't get into a fight unless it's necessary... and bring Tang back. I miss your smile, and I'd love to meet this cat you've always talked about."

Steve pulled her into a hug, glad that he didn't have to lie about this. "I love you, Mom."

"Same," She replied, pulling back. She adjusted her robes, giving Steve a wave with a blocky hand, and then she headed out of his house. Steve watched her leave, lingering near the window until she was out of sight. For a moment he felt like he was a child again, attempting to sneak out of the village with the villager boys.

As soon as Sharara had turned down the road Steve quickly headed towards the trap door in his house, slipping into his basement. Rows of chests met his gaze as he descended the ladder, and he headed towards the far one. Opening it up he pulled out several blocks of obsidian, looking over them, before slipping them away into his inventory. He then grabbed an empty bucket, alongside flint and steel, tucking them away as well.

It had been some time since Steve had gone to the Nether, but he knew that one always wanted to have supplies for another portal just in case you got separated from the one you built. Steve hoped that he wouldn't be going far from the main portal though– this was supposed to be a quick mission.

Steve was lost in his own thoughts as he gathered other supplies, organizing his inventory so his most vital supplies would be right where he could reach them. He was breathing heavily as he pulled his hands out of his inventory. The last thing he grabbed was his enchanted diamond sword, slipping it into his sheath with a nervous twitch.

He was helping an _Enderman._

"Maybe it's gone..." Steve muttered hopefully as he pushed open the door to head outside. Usually his mother made it a big thing when he set out– but he had requested to have his space as he headed out towards the 'jungle'– the lie he had come up with when asking where he was heading. Since he knew that saying 'going to the Nether with an Enderman and an Ender Dragon to fight Blazes' wouldn't go over too well with his mother.

Steve remembered all too well the panic that had seized him when he had discovered the Enderman and the dragon in his house two nights ago– begging him for his help even though they were suppose to be back in the End. He had been so exhausted and startled, but he had still listened to the Enderman's story.

The End portal was broken– and unless he helped her fix it the dragon would be stuck in the Overworld– something they both didn't want.

It seemed that the End portal broke after being used, since Steve had to fix it the first time he went through to fight the demon, and now it was broken again. He wished he could have thrown several eyes of Ender at the Enderman and send it on its way– but of course he didn't have anymore from the first time he had fix the portal.

So that left him with three choices: just kill the baby dragon and call it a day, do nothing and let the demon grow up here– most likely ending up to it opening the void in this realm, or drop everything and help his enemies.

And now he was preparing to go get blaze rods to open the portal.

Steve gritted his teeth, his armor feeling heavy on him. Fighting Blazes– just what he wanted to do tonight! But hey, he was already geared up, so too late to back out now– right?

It was sunset, meaning that everyone should be inside at the moment. The villagers might be able to see him from their windows, but at least he wouldn't be swarmed with questions of where he was going. He had left a lie– um, excuse– with his mother. Hopefully he could just get this over with, and return to a quiet life.

Now to find that Enderman...

His steps echoed quietly on the path as he took the main road, heading towards the edge of the village. A part of him hoped that the Enderman hadn't stayed around, and that he could just shove this into the past. The ruined blacksmith soon came into the view– the only building that no one went into in the village– and where he told the Enderman to wait for him.

"Hello...?" Steve called out quietly as he approached the building. He had been in here a few times on a dare when he was younger– but other than that he avoided it out of respect for his mother's late husband as he had gotten older.

Lying to his mother... working with monsters and demons... telling them to go into what was basically Shawn's grave– what had gotten into him?

But Steve knew that he couldn't just back out of this when he heard something shifting in the blacksmith. Sighing, he pulled a torch out of his inventory, lighting it as he held it in front of him. He ducked to avoid the sagging ceiling as he entered the blacksmith, shuddering as he saw two black shapes waiting inside.

"Waa?"

Shivers ran down his back at the sound of Enderman warbles. His hand drifted towards his sword as he watched the towering black figure rise, the Ender Dragon clutched in one arm, the other raised to block out the light from his torch. Two pairs of glowing purple eyes stared down at him, and Steve averted his eyes as he noticed the Enderman tensing as he made eye contact. The Ender Dragon– 'Umbra', as she called it– squirmed, as if trying to break free.

"Can you talk like the villagers, please?" Steve muttered, it was a bit easier to handle when she spoke normally.

"...I am not use to speaking in Peaceful," She said after a moment, voice cracking slightly.

"Huh," Steve grunted, staring at the ground. He was use to looking at people when they talked, but it was quite clear the Enderman wasn't fond of that. "So all of those noises you make... mean something?"

"H-hostile is a much more complex language," The Enderman replied. "Many dia... dia... dialects. It is not a matter of understanding the sounds, rather being able to comprehend the energy that comes from the sounds and interpreting them–" She shook her head. "Why I am bothering to explain?"

Steve shrugged off what she said– for some reason the idea that monsters could communicate left him unsettled. "So... you wanted my help fixing the portal," He looked up at her for a moment, noticing how much she was struggling keeping Umbra in her arms. The dragon twisted in her grasp, eyes locked straight on Steve. "You said you had something in return– let's see if it's worthwhile."

The Enderman sighed, but opened her arms. The Ender Dragon at last leapt out of her arms, claws scraping against the ground as she bolted towards Steve. He tensed as the dragon rushed at him, prancing around his legs with excitement. He held out a leg, pressing it against the dragon so she couldn't come closer to him.

"I have two things," The Enderman said, holding out her arms. Steve blinked as he watched her arms slip from out of sight into an unseen dimension– Enderman had inventories?! "I think you'd... favor both," She glanced at him. "Is that the right word?"

He shrugged. "I think 'like' would be more appropriate."

She pulled her hands out of her inventory, holding a strange block that Steve had never seen before. It was a dull purple, grooves running along side it. She set it on the ground of the blacksmith, dusting it off, and Steve frowned at it.

"This is a... a..." She paused, then let out a screech-like sound. "–Box."

"A what-box?" Steve asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know what the mob is called in Peaceful. Basically this... box, is made from their shells though. This is a lot like a chest you have in your home– it stores items like an inventory. We use them often in the End, I have several in my inventory."

Steve cross his arms. "Like you said, I already have chests. Why would I need this... box thing?"

The Enderman smiled. "Because it can do something chests can not."

She opened the box– Steve jumping back as it twisted open. This unfortunately caused him to no longer being able to keep Umbra at bay, and the dragon wrapped her front legs around his. Steve shivered at the contact, the dragon's scales warm, and forced his attention to remain on the Enderman as she pulled out an armful of several strange fruits. They were purple in color, and she spread them across the ground.

Umbra's head turned, sniffing them with interest.

"These were in here," The Enderman said proudly.

"...So?" Steve asked, watching as she picked up the fruit once more, slipping them back into the box. She held onto one though, biting into the foreign food. A sweet smell filled the blacksmith, and the dragon bolted away from Steve and towards the Enderman. The dragon looked up at her, whining, and without even a blink she offered the rest of the fruit to the dragon, who swallowed it whole.

"It was holding items while in my inventory," The Enderman explained, watching at him with a level look. Their eyes only met for a second, before the Enderman pulled her gaze away.

Steve frowned, and he watched as she picked the box back up, slipping it into her inventory with a soft sigh. It just held items, like any other chest, what did she think was so special–

The realization hit him at once. "The items don't drop."

The Enderman smiled, and Umbra raced back towards Steve. "That is correct, Player."

It was like an inventory within an inventory... a box that could hold items within an inventory– he had never heard of such a thing! It was something he had thought was impossible! His lack of interest surged into greed– realizing just how valuable this item was she was showing him. A chest that could be carried around, that would provide so many opportunities, he could carry so many more supplies–

"You said you had two things to offer me," Steve said, trying to keep his eagerness at bay. He didn't want her to realize just how much he wanted her whatever-box. He tried to think of what kind of creature would have shells like that, but the screeching noise she had made meant nothing to him. Perhaps the creature screeched? A screecher...? No, that was a horrible name for a mob. It had shells, so perhaps it was just something that skulked in the shadows of the End...? He had idea of what to picture.

The Enderman paused. "It is something you left in the End," She said. "I thought perhaps you'd like it back."

And with that she pulled out a small orange band, one that Steve recognized right off– Sol's collar.

"Where did you get that!?" Steve snarled, causing the Enderman to stiffen up.

"You left it in the End, and I picked it up," She said, tilting her head. Steve jumped forward, nearly tripping over Umbra. The dragon swiftly retreated, and Steve snatched the collar out of the Enderman's hand. At the time he thought that leaving it in the End would be fitting, but now that he was seeing the collar of his beloved friend he couldn't believe he had ever let it out of his grasp.

"Don't touch it!" Steve snarled, holding the collar close to his chest.

"You're the one that left it in my realm," The Enderman said.

Steve closed his eyes. "...Fine, Enderman– thank you for bringing it back. But don't touch it again and– get this thing off of me!"

Umbra had leapt up, claws digging into Steve's arms as she tried to climb up onto his shoulder. Steve raised his hand, and the Enderman swiftly teleported forward, seizing the baby dragon, before teleporting back with it.

"She's not a thing," The Enderman hissed. "Her name is Umbra!"

"I don't care what it's called– I just want it away from me," Steve pointed at the dragon in frustration. He gritted his teeth. "Now, I have decided to accept your terms. You give me that box and help me in whatever way necessary to get supplies we'll need– and I'll help you fix the End portal."

"...Very well. I will hold you to your bargain." The Enderman closed her eyes. "If we are going to be working together we should address us by our names, not our species. My name... best translated into your language would be 'the first dark'."

Steve hesitated– names? Villagers had names, and he had always given animal mobs names... He supposed he could call hostile mobs names as well then.

"...Fine," Steve said, and he pointed at the two creatures of the End. "You're 'The First Dark', and that thing- er- dragon, is Umbra then– that means shadow or something, right?"

"...I do not know. That was how it translated in my mind– my knowledge on Peaceful is limited," The Enderman replied.

Steve frowned. "...Alright then, you say your name is 'The First Dark'? That really isn't a name, so... um..." He paused, trying to think of something else. "Perhaps 'dusk' or 'twilight' would be a better translation, and those would work better as a name."

"What is this 'dusk' and 'twilight', exactly?" The Enderman asked hesitantly.

Steve glanced outside the old forge, the sun long gone. "Well, this time of night, I suppose. The very beginning of the night is called dusk."

The Enderman slowly nodded. "That will do– you may call me Dusk. Now, Player, tell me your name."

"Steve," Steve said after a moment of slight hesitation. "Just Steve."

"Stee-eve," Dusk said experimentally, the 'ee' sound in his name coming out more as an Enderman warble. "Strange name, Player, but I shall call you as such."

"Um... why do you keep calling me that?" Steve asked. "What is a 'player'?"

The Enderman regarded him, Dusk's vivid purple eyes meeting his for only a moment. "That is your species, did you not know that? You are a player."

Steve felt his throat tighten– what he was? This Enderman knew what he was? His mind was racing, considering the possibility of a hostile mob knowing what he was, even when his mother didn't. Was Dusk lying? Or perhaps it was just what she called villagers, and thought he was one.

"Um–" Steve began, but could find no words.

"Well Steve," Dusk asked, teleporting a few blocks closer. "Are we going to the Nether, or not?"

Steve shook his head free of his thoughts– he had other things to focus on. "Yes, we shall, but I'm going to need you to teleport us to the portal," He went to the window of the forge. "Now, it is hard to see in the dark, but–"

"My eyes see through darkness. Just describe where I am to teleport us," Dusk interrupted.

"Alright, um– there's a huge cobblestone building to the south of us," Steve said. "That's the chapel, it's the largest building in the village. Now, I need you to teleport us to the basement, there's an unactivated portal down there. You teleport us into the basement, and I'll light it, and then we're on our way to the Nether."

Dusk closed her eyes, as if focusing on something. She held Umbra close to her chest, then nodded. "Alright, ready. Grab hold of my arm, it is easier to teleport beings when in direct contact with me."

Steve hesitated, but reached to touch Dusk's arm. He was surprised at the feel of the Enderman, her skin as soft as his or a villager's. However, Steve had been expecting her skin to be cold as the End realm had been– but it wasn't.

Dusk's skin was warm, just like a villager's. Steve frowned, wrapping a blocky hand around her slender arm. She felt so villager-like... she spoke like them... She had a name, a gender– she cared for the dragon and treated like a child.

For a being Steve called a monster, it was frightening to realize that she was anything but monstrous.

* * *

It had taken Dusk a moment to locate just where in the basement of the chapel Steve wanted her to take them– since the chapel had a vast system of tunnels under it. Dusk was impressed with the complex place, since Steve's house had simply had a single room for his basement, while the chapel many chambers below it.

But she assumed that Steve wanted the room right below the surface, and so that's where she teleported them with a single blink.

It seemed that she was right, since Steve swiftly let go of her arm, glancing around the cobblestone basement without complaint. Fortunately Steve didn't seem keen at looking at her eyes as he had been when they had first started talking– it took everything she had to prevent herself from lashing out as she saw a player staring at her most vulnerable point, and the place where her power was stored.

"Okay," Steve said, looking at the blocks of obsidian in front of them. If this was the portal to the Nether then it was different than the End one– which had rested on the ground. This stood proudly in the center of the room. The obsidian was quite pretty, it was a limited block in the End, reserved for the queen's island and for the rarest of chests.

She heard Steve rummaging around his inventory, and she resisted the urge to ask him if it was true that Players had an endless one. Dusk knew that inventories were a gift from the void, extending their reach beyond their world and into its own realm, but she didn't know why it'd favor a monstrous creature such as the player. Perhaps the void mistook players for the Notch?

Dusk let out a low hiss as Steve relit his torch– which had died down when she had teleported. He swung the burning light around, studying the basement with pressed lips. Dusk turned her gaze away from the harsh light– it felt even brighter than in the ruined forge. Umbra, however, looked at the light with a curious whimper, twisting once more in Dusk's arms.

"Get use to it," Steve said, noticing her discomfort. "I can't see without it, and the Nether is no dark place."

Umbra tensed up slightly. "I... I thought the Nether was another realm like the End– with no sun."

Steve grinned weakly, his armor gleaming in the torchlight, and he approach the unlit portal. "No, there's no sun– but there's plenty of lava– and therefore plenty of heat and light. Don't go teleporting willy-nilly, or else you just might find yourself cooking."

Dusk's skin paled to a dark gray. "Do we need to go to the Nether? C-can't we just find what we need here?"

Steve turned back towards the obsidian portal. "We need eyes of Eyes of Ender if we're going to fix the portal– and I have a feeling you're not about to gorge out your eyes," She shivered, instinctively getting ready to teleport at the mention of her eyes. "We're going to have to make our own, and for that we'll need Blaze rods."

And then with that he held the torch to the portal, letting the flames lick the obsidian. Dusk watched in a fascination– and suddenly a huge burst filled the room. She teleported back a few blocks at the flash, while Steve stepped back to look at his handy work. A purple light filled the spaces between the portal– much different from the starry void of the End portal. But the slight was beautiful, just like looking into Umbra's eyes.

Steve hung his torch on the wall, pulling out his sword. "Ready to go to the Nether, Enderma– Dusk?"

Dusk stared at the swirling portal, holding Umbra close to her chest. She opened her mouth, but found no words in her mouth– nether Peaceful or Hostile. So she closed her mouth, and gave a simple nod, teleporting to Steve's side. He flinched slightly at the noise, but didn't glance at her.

Umbra let out a happy call– trying to slip out of Dusk's arms and get to Steve.

Steve stepped forward, jumping into the portal without hesitation. The light flared even brighter, twisting as it warped Steve away to the realm beyond. Dusk only hesitated for a moment, but knew that getting Umbra home was far more important than her fear. Making sure that her young queen was held safely against her chest the Enderman walked towards the portal. She had to duck to fit through the portal, but soon a tingling ran through her as she was whisked away.

* * *

 **In this story, the reason why Enderman don't like people looking into their eyes is because that is the source of their power. Their force behind teleporting, the energy they have, it is all stored in their glowing eyes. Enderman naturally have the urge to fight when making eye contact with something other than another Enderman or Ender Dragon to protect their power. The eyes of an Enderman, or Eyes of Ender, are very powerful and can power many things: like the End portal or Ender chests.**

 **Eyes of Ender that are crafted are not real Enderman eyes, but something with the same power. By combining Ender Pearls (an orb that Enderman can form with their powers, and sometimes they form after the death of an Enderman) and Blaze powder these crafted Eyes of Ender can do everything real Enderman eyes can do. Since Dusk can form Ender Pearls at will, all she and Steve need is Blaze powder to make Eyes of Ender without harming any Enderman.**


End file.
